A call log is a feature found on many telephones. The call log may list the calls connected to the telephone, which typically includes incoming, outgoing, and missed calls. Details in the call log may include the telephone number of the other party connected to the call and the time of connection, otherwise referred to as a time stamp. More detailed call logs may also include the name of the party, the date of the call, the length of the call, and other details regarding the call.
The call log may be useful to a subscriber who wants a record of a call. The subscriber may use the call log to locate a telephone number from a previous call. By having the telephone number from a previous call, the subscriber may be able to regenerate the call at a later time. Additionally, the call log may be used to remember when a call was connected, which may be used to calculate elapsed time since the call was connected. For example, a subscriber may call a help desk and ask a question. The person at the help desk may tell the subscriber that they will call the subscriber within 48 hours with the answer to the question. The subscriber may then use the call log to determine if the person at the help desk returned the call within the promised time.
In some cases, an initial call will be transferred to a second party. Continuing with the example above, the person at the help desk may not have the ability to answer the subscriber's question and transfer the call to a telephone number of a second person who may be able to answer the question. In this scenario, the initial call to the help desk would appear in the subscriber's call log, but the transferred call may not. If the transferred call is not recorded in the call log, the subscriber may not have the telephone number of the second person or have a record of when the call was transferred to the second person.
Another example of a transferred call is a call transferred by telephone directory assistance. Telephone directory assistance is a service in which a person can obtain a telephone number for a specified party. The person may supply a name and a city location of the party to a directory assistance operator. With this information, the operator looks up that party's telephone number in a computer database and provides the telephone number to the person. Typically, the operator, upon locating the telephone number, activates a pre-recorded voice announcement to convey the telephone number to the person. Some directory service providers further offer to connect the person to the telephone number for a predetermined fee.
Having the operator connect the call to the requested telephone number is especially useful when the person is in a situation in which it is difficult to write down the telephone number, such as when driving a car. However, when a directory assistance operator connects the call to the requested party, a call log entry for the connected call is not generated. For example, if a subscriber places a call to directory assistance using a telephone and asks to be connected to a department store, only the call to directory assistance would be listed on the telephone's call log. There would not be a record in the call log reflecting the call connected between the subscriber's telephone and the department store. As a result, the telephone's call log would not have a complete list of all the connected calls.